Following their victory on Christmas night, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul sat next to each other wearing ugly Christmas turtlenecks and sweater vests. DAN WOIKE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Who'd have thought ugly sweaters and pretty basketball made for such an appealing combination?

As members of the Clippers made their way into Staples Center on Tuesday night, cameras caught Matt Barnes' sweater complete with the tinsel-accented sleeves. They found Ronny Turiaf smiling as he wore a sweater with teddy bears and Christmas trees. They caught Chris Paul and Willie Green posing in what could have doubled as a holiday card from the weird side of the family.

Pressure? If there is any, these guys aren't feeling it.

The Clippers handled the Denver Nuggets later that night, and postgame photos of Paul and Blake Griffin's postgame Christmas-themed outfits spread all over the Internet.

Fun and talented? Yup, these are the Clippers.

More than one-third of the way through the season and the Clippers are the best team in the NBA. They've got the best record (22-6), they've got the longest winning streak of the season (14 games) and they've got the best point differential (9.7 points).

At no point in franchise history have the Clippers ever owned the best record in the NBA this late in the season.

"It is what it is," Paul said nonchalantly after the Clippers beat Denver, 112-100 on Christmas night

But while the Clippers aren't ready to acknowledge any accomplishments just yet – "We've got to keep going," Griffin said – they're always ready to smile.

For the season opener on Halloween, the entire team wore black suits, white shirts, black ties and sunglasses. After beating Memphis, the team went across the street to Matt Barnes' Halloween party dressed as the Men in Black.

"We've got 14 Will Smith's and one other guy," Griffin deadpanned that night.

With increased media presence forcing the Clippers' biggest stars into a separate interview room after each home game, Griffin and Paul have developed into one of the NBA's premiere comedic duos.

After their victory on Christmas night, Griffin and Paul sat next to each other wearing ugly Christmas turtlenecks and sweater vests. Griffin was asked about seeming pretty angry about checking out of the game in the third quarter.

Here was how the two answered the question:

Griffin: "I knew I had to come in here and put this sweater on."

Paul: "That's what he said when he ran off the court."

Griffin: "Chris said, 'That's OK. I've got the same one.'"

The fun happens on the court, too, where the Clippers are playing must-watch basketball by getting stops on the defensive end and turning them into highlight finishes, forcing the biggest Laker supporters to shout praise.

"I thought I would never see Showtime again," Magic Johnson said on ESPN at halftime Tuesday. "The Clippers are Showtime. This is Showtime."

Heck, even Larry King tweeted compliments towards the Clippers on Wednesday.

It's all part of a culture change that began after the team traded for Paul over a year ago.

"I know what the perception was. I know that if I came on a road trip here, I felt like I was going to win. I just wanted it to be different," Paul said. "We want guys to know when they come here to play us, they've better get some rest the night before the game and know they're going to be in for a dogfight."

Whether it's Halloween costumes, bad sweaters or big victories, the Clippers have become the best team in the NBA because of a simple formula.

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